20 Tips To Feel Way More Powerful & Confident

As we wander through life, we encounter many relationships — familial, social, romantic, professional — with people who impact our lives and our sense of self (often times, they affect us more than we expect).

Some relationships and situations make us feel strong, happy and supported, while others can make us feel insecure, weak, inadequate. Whether we like it or not, the way we process other people's behavior and react to us can make or break our sense of self-esteem at any given moment.

Have you ever had someone put you down and make you feel stripped of self-worth? Of course, levels of criticism vary, as do their effects on you (especially depending on who the critic is — a romantic partner, friend, parent, co-worker, boss).

Regardless of particular situation or person, it's good to be reminded first and foremost that people who have a low opinion of themselves will often be hardest on others. Putting others down typically makes insecure people feel more powerful. But this "power" is not, itself, powerful. It is flimsy, and serves to keep the cycle of negative self-worth alive.

So the second important reminder to keep in mind is that we can't control people's behavior. But what we can control is how we respond to others. Realizing that our thoughts and actions can determine how we feel is the best and most foolproof way to maintain a sense of personal power. This power isn't dependent on anyone else but ourselves. Now that is powerful.

Rather than seeking out the approval from other people, consider this radical question: what if we sought out our own self-approval first?

To help you answer this question, here is a list of twenty self-esteem boosting tips. If you can implement around three to five of these daily, you will begin to feel a shift in your mood and build your confidence and over time. Sure, people will start to treat you differently — but most importantly, you will treat yourself differently. You will treat yourself with honor, love, respect. The list can, and will, go on and on.